Government ministers, police and academics from 22 countries are meeting in Thailand on Monday for the first Asia Pacific conference aimed at fighting international crime syndicates.

The two-day conference will discuss initiatives to combat money laundering, trafficking in humans and drug smuggling.

Delegates are also expected to debate the social costs of organised crime in the region.

The United Nations estimates that organised crime syndicates earn $1,500bn a year through drug trafficking, money laundering and smuggling migrants.

Vietnamese border guards with confiscated goods

With national borders more porous than ever before due to globalisation, experts say criminals are posing an unprecedented challenge to developing nations struggling to cope with the social costs of organised crime.

The anti-crime conference is hosted by the Thai government, in conjunction with the Vienna-based UN Office for Drug and Crime Prevention.

It aims to bolster support for a UN-sponsored draft convention against trans-national organised crime, and to stop the spread of corruption across the Asia Pacific region.

Economic crisis

The convention will enable member states to seize and confiscate proceeds of organised crime and establish global support in fighting corruption.